If Your Not the One
by Luna Ace
Summary: She was engaged. So, he had to move on. He tried to move on. ZC
1. Introduction

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**If Your Not The One**

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** By: Luna Ace**

**Summary: She _was_ engaged. So, he had to move on. He _tried_ to move on. Zoey/Chase**

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Thoughts swirled in his mind. The good and the bad. Feelings that he suppressed years ago-- back when they were in high school. But, he hadn't seen her since then, and he didn't know if he wanted to see her. All ready, in five years-- their pact went down to dust when they graduated in 2009. He' had stayed in California. She had also. But, they drifted apart. 

Yet, he saw her in his dreams. She was about five feet, six inches tall. She had blond hair and brunette eyes. To him, she was the prefect girl. She was everything to him, yet he never got the chance to tell her how he felt. And, every time he got on the phone with one of their friends they would tell him it was to late.

She _was_ engaged.

So, he had to move on. He_ tried_ to move on. Driving was so much easier when the thoughts of a prefect woman weren't in his head. He looked up at the rear view mirror and saw his refection. His naturally green eyes starred back at him dully. His bushy hair was now darker than it once was.

_Why didn't I tell her? She was everything to me. And, now she's not even mine. She's someone else's. Who dared married my girl? Who dared marry Zoey Brooks?_

Zoey Brooks was still the most _delicate_ name in his head. And, on his lips. He had seen forever with her a long time ago. That was before Jason Maure. He was a couple of feet taller than her. He had silky black hair and brunette eyes. _They had hit it off-- _or that was told.

They day she met Jason he was flying in from New York just to tell her he loved her. But, he chicken out, again. And, it was all Jason's fault. She couldn't stop talking about Jason. He was smart, funny, and a good listener.

_Wait... that sounds like me. Zoey why couldn't you see the prefect guy was right in front of you?_

And, just like that his own heart closed up. He didn't give a damn anymore. And, yet here he was driving on the outskirts of Malibu, California. Looking for a sign to turn around. He wanted to. But his heart keep calling her name. And, it felt like he was dying inside.

She had e-mailed him a place and a time.

But as to a reason why? She had left it blank. And, the only real time they could met was on a weekend. Like today. He was a journalist for the Sacramento Bee. And, she was a very successful fashion designer with her new fashion- ZB Fashion.

He checked the dash board. 4:59. Great. Just great. He only had two minutes or else he would be presumed late wouldn't he? But, then again he he hadn't talk to her in years. Would she care? Would she be late as well?

More thoughts entered his mind as he arrived at the beach._ Their Beach_, he reminded himself. He sighed as he stepped out of the car. This place made him nostalgic. Things happened here as well. Like the little beach party they had years ago at the end of the girl's first semester. By them him and Zoey were good friends.

"Then it all went wrong," he muttered not letting himself relive his past.

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She sighed. She was pumped for this. Well... sort of. The last couple of weeks had been horrible for her. Ever since the beginning of the month she had been living in hell. Right away she called her old roommates and asked them to fly over to California. 

Nicole Bristow was the first one to fly in. She had brunette hair and eyes. And, loved to ramble on about various things. Then Lola Martinez flew in from England, where she was shooting her next movie. She was a natural born actress who was discover just weeks after they graduated. Last but not least Quinn Pensky, their resident geek/scientist drove to where Zoey lived. Quinn had just begun working as a Professor in Davis.

The three girls had an all girls day the weekend they all showed up. They knew that Zoey really needed it, and she would soon tell them what was wrong. They knew something was wrong when she had proposed to have a get together without the raging testosterone group of their male friends.

"_Ok Zoe what's wrong?" Quinn quietly asked that night as they entered her condo._

_She rolled her eyes. She didn't expect Quinn to ask her first. She expected Nicole to ask. Or Lola. She sighed, and knew it was now or never._

"_You guys know how my wedding is next week right?" Zoey asked quietly._

_The three girls put down their purchases and looked at Zoey and nodded. _

_She let go of breathe of air she didn't know she was holding and then closed the door. She looked down to her right hand where a beautiful white diamond ring used to be. It was now or never. It was time to tell her friends the truth._

"_I'm not getting married." she said._

_Each of their faces show some signs of shock. And, Zoey didn't know what to do. She knew she had to explain. _

"_A couple of my co-workers and I went to dinner a few weeks ago. Some of them brought dates. And, well it just got out of hand. I saw Jason flirting with my secretary. And, when dessert came they had excused themselves--"_

_She couldn't finish as flashbacks if that night appeared in her head. She shook them away. What was she going to do now? The pact she made with her bushy haired friend was down the drain. All she had to count on was these three women._

"_It's okay," Lola said._

"_We're here for you don't forget that." Nicole had told her._

And, now she was staying at a condo in a town called Roseville. Where she lived before was Williamsburg. It was close to the border of California and Oregon. That's where Jason lived and stayed after she threw her engagement ring at him.

She blinked. She then remember where she was right now. On the beach-- thinking over her life. The life she desperately wanted to share with all her friends. Even her bushy haired friend. And, she hadn't seen him in years.

Yet, she sent him an e-mail.

And, she got no response. She had begun to wonder if he ever show up. She was laying down on a towel getting –or trying to get a perfect tan. She laughed to herself. There was no way in hell someone could get a perfect tan. Could they? Would they?

She lazily lifted her left hand and checked the time. 5:00. He was running late. She then begun to stand up and stretch. She then flopped down and reached into a green thicket basket and pulled out some water.

She began to wonder why she was here. To her she could be anywhere. But, most of all she wanted to be here. This was was were it all began. Her life began here, and somehow she felt as if it ended here. Yet, she heard foot steps and looked in the direction they were coming.

And, there he was.

She knew that things were going to change. She would hope for the best though. It was all about fixing their friendship.

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**A/N: All right. This is my very first Zoey 101 fan fiction piece. I would really like some feedback on this.**

**R&R!**

**-Ace!  
**


	2. The Known Fact

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**If Your Not The One**

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**By: Luna Ace**

**Summary: She _was_ engaged. So, he had to move on. He _tried_ to move on. **

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She was dress in a blue tank top and a white miniskirt. Her blond hair was flowing down the back of her head. Her brunette eyes starred at him. He was wearing plaid dress shirt, and loose jeans. They were starring at each other. She wanted him to start. _Typical_, she thought. 

"Hey."

She didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to chicken out. She wanted to run away and hide. But, she knew she couldn't. She was frozen in the same spot. What was she suppose to do now? What was she suppose to say? And, yet he couldn't take it anymore. He turned around and begun walking the way he came.

Warning bells went off in her head. Her ex-best friend was running away from her. She had to stop him. She stood up and began to run after him. The green thicket basket forgotten. She ran up to him and grabbed his arm. He turned and looked at her.

"Chase don't leave me," she whispered.

He looked at her angrily. He didn't know what to do anymore. This wasn't the Zoey Brooks he knew. This was someone different. He began to wonder if this was the girl he had fallen in love with the first day he had met her. Then she was innocent. All, he wanted to know was why. Why did sh forgot the pact? Why did she sent him that e-mail a few days ago?

"Why?" he asked.

She turned away from him. What should she told him? What was it that could convince him that she truly needed him. There was nothing she could do. Nothing at all, and it hurt. The pain she would always see in his green eyes would stick with her. She knew that. And, there was nothing she could do to change it.

"Chase--" she sighed, as she turned around. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for destroying our pact we made in ninth grade. I just... I don't know anymore. Everything has changed. You. Me. It's been years since we've been best friends..."

"What is it that you want from me?" he said a little to harshly.

Again, she sighed. "I want my best friend." she whispered hoping he didn't hear.

But, he did. He then sighed as he plopped down onto the sandy beach. This was hard for him as it was for her. He knew then and there this wasn't a social call. They were going to try to mend their friendship. And, what made matters worse for him was those feelings he had had for her didn't go away. They never left him. And, yet he had lived his life-- without coming into contact with her.

But, now he was afraid. He reminisced about all the times in high school where they just hang out. Back then their friendship wasn't complicated as it was now. And, he was happy to have those memories. But, truth be told-- he wanted _her_ back. He _needed_ her back. He didn't realize there would be so much at stake in the one little outing.

"Zoey..." he started.

She looked up at him. And, yet what was he suppose to say? He could hear the voice of his best friend, Michael Barret saying: _"Tell Zoey you love her." _And, it wasn't in Michael's now matured voice. It was he's younger self. The Michael voice he could hear right now was only in high school. Now, that didn't make sense.

"Things are different now you know that. We've grown into different people. As much as I want my best friend back..." he trailed off.

"Don't you think I know that?" she whispered, now plopping down beside him. She was starring into his green eyes. "I was stupid. I wasn't thinking. I didn't think I would--" she had stop suddenly.

"You would what?" he asked leaning into her.

She gulped. She didn't wanted to admit it. But, she knew he deserved the truth. And, before she decided to send that e-mail she knew she would have to come clean. And, hopefully; thanks to Lola and Quinn's request; she would finally asked about his feelings for her. They had reminded her of a time-- beginning of ninth grade-- when Chase had shown up with a girlfriend at PCA. She was going to ask him then, but ended up devastated. Yet, she had hid her feelings well. And, like that she had forgotten about Chase's girlfriend.

"--need you."

"So... that's it then. You threw me away like _last week's_ news?" he asked, angrily as he threw his hands up into the air.

She didn't deny it. She hated herself when she had realized it. And, she nodded just to confirm his suspicions.

"I don't know why I am here then. You should have never had e-mail me. I thought this was going to be easy."

She giggled softly. "No one ever said it was going to be easy. I know what I did was wrong. I threw away about five years of our friendship. I know we need to start over as friends. I just..."

He didn't let her finish. Instead, he interrupted her. "You just wanted to break the only person who loved you from the start."

She did a double take. Wait what? Did he just confess he loved her? No he said loved. Past tense. Wow, she felt screwed. All this time she thought Chase was just a friend-- a really close friend. She continued to stare at him before he realized what he said. And, yet he felt like he needed to leave at _this_ exact moment. He stood up and begun to walk away.

Yet, he had heard her soft whisper.

"You loved me?"

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**A/N: Cliffhanger! Muwhahaha! I started typing this up Saturday and then realized that what I did was all wrong. So, I decided to retype this whole chapter. **

**-Ace. **


	3. A Dark Secret

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**If Your Not The One**

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** By: Luna Ace**

**Summary: She _was_ engaged. So, he had to move on. He _tried_ to move on.**

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He stopped. He was frustrated with her. And himself. He felt like telling her about everything-- about what he felt for her. But, he didn't know if it was a good idea. He had once revealed to Michael that he wanted Zoey to be his best friend for a very long time. And, yet that was thrown down the drain. She did this to him without even knowing it. He knew he had a million secrets to share starting with his birthday. Years ago when his grandmother past away on his birthday he thought that he couldn't celebrate it anymore. Yet, there was Zoey. She had made it bearable for him.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he murmured.

But, she caught up to him and grabbed his arm. In her eyes there was a look of fear. She knew if he walked away now they couldn't fix things and that alone was a scary thought. She _needed _him now. No, after five years she found herself missing him more then anything.

"It does matter to _me_. Chase--"

He cut her off. "Since when? Everything was perfect years ago before you started dating him! And, it's funny I never thought I would _lose_ you as a friend either Zoey," he had spat her name out like vile.

"I hate what I done to us. I hate that I had to chose between Jason and you! I should of known better. I'm sorry!" she yelled as she stomped off towards her things. She didn't want to be there anymore. But, what could she do? Tears filled her eyes as she picked up the green thicket basket and towel. In her mind their friendship was _officially_ over.

Strangely, enough she felt two arms around her torso. She was shocked. Someone was holding her. She wanted to back free. She wanted to be left alone to die. Yet, she heard his voice. He had followed her to this very spot on the beach.

"What ever happened to our pact we made years ago after I dated Rebbecca?" he asked harshly.

"We were different people then. We changed." she muttered.

"Zoe," he whispered softly. "Remember gender defenders and the_ message_ I wouldn't tell you?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Remember how we got Trisha Curby to stop dating--"

"You call that dating? I called a big catastrophe."

He chuckled. There was a reason for that. He needed to tell her. If they could restore something they once had it had to be now. He couldn't let her walk away... _again_. They could talk about their problems later. Right now he needed to know what she felt about him.

"Remember back in eighth grade when I tried to cheat to go to the dance with you?" he whispered into her ear.

Again, she nodded. She began to wonder where was this going. He turned her round and starred at her for a moment. He tucked a piece hair behind her ear. He was going to tell her. It was now or never. And, he had butterflies in his stomach.

"Okay, Chase what does all _that_ have to do with me?" she asked quietly.

He smiled at her as he took the towel and the basket from her, and placed it on the ground. He then engulf her into his arms, cautiously. It felt right. It felt as if she belong there. It felt as if she was made for him. And, to him he would never let her go. Not now, not ever. So, what if he was mad at her? She could never stay mad at her.

"Zoe... the message on your broken tekmate was I love you."

She starred at him in shock. She felt as if she waited for this her whole life. And, yet he was starring back at her awaiting an answer. Her heart fluttered a bit. This was her ex-best friend who had just admit that he was in love with her. Lola and Quinn were right. He _was_ in love with her.

_The three of them were in their dorm. Lola and Quinn were trying to convince her Chase was in love with him. _

"_What do you what? To say he's **not** in love with you?" Lola asked._

"_He's not in love with you." Quinn said looking down to the ground, shaking her head._

"_Thank you." she had said then fell across the spare bed._

"_But he is!" Lola confirmed._

"Chase..." she said as she pulled away from him.

He closed his eyes and prayed he hadn't said a thing he was scared of being rejected. By her. His perfect woman... could reject him. He waited for her. Oddly enough, he couldn't move on with other women. He tried to with Rebbecca-- and that turned into a mess.

"How long have you been hiding this from me?" she asked.

He sighed and sat down. This day was going so slow. He wanted it to be over so he could shoot himself and be laid to die. But, then he let his mind wander. Would Zoey cared if he killed himself? Would his friends blame her? She had all ready shattered his heart.

"When we first met. I was stunned by your beauty that I crashed into that _stupid_ flagpole." he said, laughing.

She nodded. She was intrigued by this piece of info. She found out a couple of weeks ago she was in love with Chase. It then made sense to her why she was relieved when she had caught Jason making out with the secretary in the back seat of their car. Needless to say, she had also walked to a hotel that night. There was no way in hell she would be able to go back to Jason's apartment.

Moving from Williamsburg to Roseville, California was the smartest move she had made in the past month. Suddenly she had an wicked idea. She wondered how much Chase remembered about her. And, she was willing to find out, yet she couldn't rush it. Only then she remembered how jealous Lola and Rebbecca had made her when they dated him back in high school.

"Zoe?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"I can see the wheels in your head turning. I don't know if I should be scared or afraid."

She just smiled brightly at him as if she were a three year old hiding a secret from him. She then stoop down and picked up the towel and the basket. Then, she made a break for it, and ran over to her car. She didn't look behind her because she knew he'd chase her. She chuckled to herself as she leaned on her mercury villager. She began to lean on it letting her fingers dive nervously through her blond locks.

He had followed her... again. He wasn't sure why. If they had been in high school he would like to be far away as possible. But, now it was different. They were different. He was following one of his dreams that he thought would never come true.

"I knew you'd follow me." she muttered.

He nodded. He had tried to open his mouth to say something, but he knew he couldn't. And, yet she laid a solitary finger on his lips, and smiled. He looked at her confused, and she laughed.

"I'm _in_ love with you Chase." she murmured as she leaned into him.

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**A/N: Ok. I'll end it there for now. R&R!! There is only one more chapter left.  
**

**-Ace.**


	4. Conclusion

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**If Your Not The One**

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** By: Luna Ace**

**Summary: She _was_ engaged. So, he had to move on. He _tried_ to move on.**

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They both starred at each other for what had seemed an eternity. In reality it was only a few minutes. Neither of them knew what to say now. It was difficult. For one this could turn into a screaming match, another could lead down a road where everyone was happy (including their friends). Yet, they were sure sooner or later their friends may lock them in a closet... or worse. 

"So..." he started.

"So.." she mimic.

He laughed. She couldn't keep a straight face, and soon enough both of them were laughing about their stupidity through out the years. Granted, they had lost a lot of time, but they knew that somehow everything would be fixed.

"You love me." he said, _still_ surprised.

She nodded. "And, you love me. Now why couldn't you tell me this sooner?" she asked.

"When?" he asked softly.

"In high school." she said pretending to be upset.

"I... uh... tried? Michael told me to tell you. But, I couldn't I didn't wanted to ruin our friendship."

She nodded, and grabbed his hands, in her small, but delicate ones. She starred into his green eyes then and swallowed. She had made a decision then.

"I would say let's make a pact, but look what happened last time." she laughed.

He nodded, wondering what she was going to say.

"How about this? We forget what has happened in the past and start over again from scratch?" he asked.

She smiled. At least he still knew what she was thinking. She let go of his hands and tiled her head to the side and thought for a moment. She had all ready knew her answer. Yet, she wanted to make him squirm. Something she hasn't done in awhile.

"Zoe?"

She didn't say a word. He was starting to feel like this was a bad idea. It was a bad idea to come here. It was a bad idea to tell her how he felt about her. Most of all it was a bad idea to come running after her a few minutes ago. And, yet he wanted to know what she was thinking. What she had to say.

Finally after it seemed like eternity she said, "As what Chase?"

That puzzled him deeply. They could remain as friends he suppose. But, then how would he feel? He closed his eyes and instantly knew that he wanted more. Yet, he knew they would have to take it slowly. He wouldn't let her or himself ruin this chance they had in finding each other.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along as he led her down the beach. Yet, he had a plan of his own well he felt he needed to get her back for all the times she had hit him throughout high school and throwing their friendship away. Finally he decided to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder as he got closer to the shoreline.

"Don't you dare!" she yelled as she quickly caught on to what he was up to.

He just smiled and continued walking ignoring her protest. He knew for sure she was plotting against him, but he knew he wouldn't have it any other way. He loved her. And, hopefully by the end of the day he'd show her how much. But, right now he wanted his sweet revenge on Zoey Brooks, the girl who had made his heart shatter, and maybe... just maybe would sew the pieces together again.

"Come on Zoe, you said you love me. Don't you trust me?" he asked, smirking-- not that she could see.

"Oh yeah. Mr. Mathews asks about trust--- CHASE!!!" she screamed as he threw him into the nice cold ocean. She had begun to shiver and watched him laugh evilly. Then, she got an idea and began to swim away from him. She begun to snicker as he begun calling her name.

"Zoey! This isn't funny!" he cried.

He looked around, and begun to wonder where she was. Maybe she was in danger? In trouble? He could hear it now. Their friends would harp him if something happened to Zoey and yet he felt something knock him over. It was Zoey, smirking. Her brunette eyes twinkled. Oh how he had missed this. Missed _her_.

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A little later they found themselves inside the hotel room that she reserved for the weekend. They were watching _The Mummy_, a movie they had actually found on the television. They had dinner over at an Olive Garden, which had seemly had open up in the last few years by PCA. All in all they had begun to talk about their differences. And, they decided to become a couple, but take it slow. 

"I think it's funny that we live near each other and we never knew that." she mused during a commercial.

He looked down at her and smiled. Her head was on his shoulder and he had an arm around her form. He realized he could get use to this.

"Yeah. About thirteen miles apart." he replied.

"And Quinn lives in Elk Grove-- thirty minutes from us." she said smiling.

He stifled back a laugh. What was going on in her head? He wanted to know, but he didn't wanted to ask. He just remain quiet until she she spoke up again.

"So, uh... we should go to bed. We have a long drive to Quinn's tomorrow. This is going to flip their lids." she said reaching for the remote.

"You want us to show up together?" he asked as he folded his arms and looked up at her.

"Well... the groups going. And, we'll have to face them sometime. So, how about it?"

"I don't know."

"Please?"

"Fine. But, on one condition."

She giggled as she sat on his lap and kissed his cheek.

"Anything." she murmured.

"Kiss me."

And, she did. They didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but they knew they would be in this together. In the end the only thing that matters is how much you love someone. Both of them had learned a valuable lesson. And, yet true love would always win in the end.

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**Finito.**

**A/N: Aww happy ending. Ok. That's all for now. But, I'll have another Zoey 101 story out by Feb. 3rd. Be sure to check that out. I'm working hard on actually writing it. Anyway, not to get off topic, but I hope you like this short story! R&R!! I'm out!**

**-Ace. **


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